1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to handheld resistance training devices, and more particularly is a combination hand weight and rope pull device. The resistance for the rope pull aspect of the device is adjustable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Health and fitness technology is a very active field. Numerous and varied inventions have been made to help a person train more efficiently in order to get the maximum benefit in the minimum amount of time.
One of the most common forms of exercise is simply walking. It has been learned by fitness experts that there are benefits gained by walking with weights held in the user""s hands. While it is possible to gain at least some of these benefits by simply carrying a given weight while one walks, many prior art devices are directed to hand weight devices that enhance and make a walking workout more efficient.
Many of the prior art devices recognize that it is beneficial to connect two hand resistance devices in order to synchronize the user""s motions. Accordingly, there have been devices generated that use a mounting device affixed around the user""s waist. One such device is the xe2x80x9cUpper Body Exercise Devicexe2x80x9d of Mackey, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,876,310, issued Mar. 2, 1999. Other inventors, recognizing that the hands do not naturally move in a plane parallel to the waist, have added extension means to allow the hands to move in more natural arcs. An example of such a device is the xe2x80x9cUnidirectionally Adjustably Resistant Recoilers and Portable Exercise Devicesxe2x80x9d of Marshall, U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,249, issued Apr. 8, 1997.
The Marshall device, as well as many others including the xe2x80x9cExercise Device with Variable Resistancexe2x80x9d of Corn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,231, include means to vary the resistance of the handheld device. The need to vary resistance to maximize the benefit of an exercise is recognized in many other prior art devices as well. Two such inventions are the xe2x80x9cVariable Resistance Exercise Devicexe2x80x9d of Mackey, U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,559, issued Nov. 21, 2000, and the xe2x80x9cPortable Friction Resistant Exercise Devicexe2x80x9d of Marshall et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,165, issued Oct. 3, 1989.
The prior art devices universally use a waist or hip mounted apparatus to supply the connection means between the two handheld devices. These devices tend to force the user""s hands into unnatural positions during the exercises, and are bulky and cumbersome to carry and transport. Further, the prior art variable resistance mechanisms are quite complex, therefore being difficult and expensive to manufacture, and they can add significant size and weight to the device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hand weight device with a variable resistance means.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that allows the user to move his hands in a natural arc while using the device.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a device that provides a constant resistance, that is, resistance is present when the user""s hands are moving both forward and backward.
The present invention is a combination hand weight and rope pull device comprising a pair of hand weights. The two weights can be used independently, or they can be joined by at least one rope attached to a rotor in the weight head. The heads rotate so that the ropes do not bind when the device is in use. The rotation of the heads is unlimited.
If, as in the standard model, each of the weights is equipped with only one active head with a rotor, one or two ropes may be used to add resistance to the hand weights. In an alternate embodiment, each of the weight heads is equipped with a rotor (four total), so that one to four ropes may be employed. The total number of available resistance levels is therefore five (zero to four ropes).
An advantage of the present invention is that it can be used as a set of hand weight, or in combination as a rope pull device.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the resistance between the two hand weights is variable.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that the design of the device yields a streamlined, not bulky, exercise machine. Further, the simplicity of the design reduces manufacturing complexity, and therefore manufacturing cost.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that a user may employ the device with a natural motion of his arms and hands.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described herein and as illustrated in the drawings.